Michael Chong joins federal Conservative leadership race
Posted May 16, 2016 9:13 am.
Last Updated May 16, 2016 9:15 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – The federal Conservative leadership race now has its third contender, as Ontario MP Michael Chong officially launched his campaign today.
“There is a new Canada rising,” said Chong, as he kick-started his campaign by talking about adapting the Conservative party to respond to Canada’s changing society.
He spoke of accepting carbon pricing to tackle climate change and ways to open the party to more youth and immigrant communities.
“I believe it’s time for new leadership for Canada. It’s time to attract new people to our party by putting forward new and ambitious ideas based on Conservative principles.”
He has long been an advocate of reforming parliament, and says it will be one of the pillars of his campaign, “in order to curb the power of the PMO and party leaders to control the people’s elected members of parliament.”
Chong made headlines in 2006 after quitting cabinet over a motion recognizing Quebecers as a nation, calling it ethnic nationalism. However, he doesn’t believe he has a disadvantage in Quebec as a result.
Chong is joining his fellow MPs Kellie Leitch and Maxime Bernier in the race. But with a vote still more than a year away, others are still considering their options — such as MPs Lisa Raitt and Jason Kenney, former cabinet minister Peter Mckay, and businessman Kevin O’Leary.
